Observation/Reflection #1: Starting From the Beginning
During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?
Observation:
With block scheduling at Exeter West Greenwich Junior High, I only had the opportunity to observe the beginning of one class. Half of their team went on a field trip to Washington D.C. for the weekend, so this was a somewhat unconventional class. It was the first class of the day, so Ms. Brocato stood at the door greeting students as they came in. As soon as the bell rang there was one student who was still out in the hall. She told them they'd have to go to the office and get a late pass, saying she was sorry but it was a rule. The student went without question to the office and Ms. Brocato immediately jumped into her lesson not even 20 seconds after the bell had rang. She begins the lesson with the question "So how many of you believe in aliens?". A few students raise their hands and share their thoughts, and Ms. Brocato asks them what they think they would look like. She then goes on to discuss how there are a lot of people in the world who study U.F.O encounters and look for scientific evidence prove or disprove these "sightings". She then passes out a worksheet while explaining they will be watching a couple of segments of video's from the NOVA series on these topics, and then complete a short worksheet where students explain if they believe in aliens, why, and why they think the aliens would visit their planet. Lastly, the students were to use their creativity and draw what they believed aliens would look like. She thoroughly explained each of these questions during the introduction and the students seemed to fully understand what to look for while watching the video (although this was more of an opinion based activity).
Reflection:
This was my first time in Ms. Brocato's class, and I was very impressed with the structure she maintains in her classroom. She is very well respected by the students and very clear about what her rules are and the fact that all students need to follow them. Being so early in the year, I asked her how she got the students to respond so quickly to this structured environment. She told me that at Exeter West Greenwich Junior High, the students are looped meaning they remain with the same team through both 7th and 8th grade. She said this really helps in the second year because the students already know what to expect, being able to focus more on the content at the beginning of the year without the distraction of learning a new teacher's method of teaching. On her whiteboard at the front of the room Ms. Brocato has a list of 7 things for students to do when they come in the room. First is taking out homework if any was assigned the previous night, second reading over notes from the day before, followed by 5 more getting students fully ready for the day. She said this gets students into a classroom mindset, and that it allows her to get right into checking or collecting the homework quickly to begin the lesson. Sometimes she said she'll use a problem of the day to help students review material they had learned the previous day. I personally this is the most effective way to start of a class, because this one answer question can be collected and evaluated as a checkpoint to make sure students understand the concepts on a daily basis. Ms. Brocato also did an excellent job of engaging students with questions at the beginning of the lesson. She asked some students who raised their hands, but also directed some questions towards students who didn't to make sure they also had a chance to contribute to the discussion. Throughout the video, she would periodically stop the video to clarify a certain concept that may have been confusing for the students. They seemed to respond to this and often asked questions during this time, which I thought was a really good tool. I'm really looking forward to student teaching with Ms. Brocato and hope to learn a lot more from her as my observations go on.
Observation/Reflection #1: Starting From the Beginning
During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?Observation:
With block scheduling at Exeter West Greenwich Junior High, I only had the opportunity to observe the beginning of one class. Half of their team went on a field trip to Washington D.C. for the weekend, so this was a somewhat unconventional class. It was the first class of the day, so Ms. Brocato stood at the door greeting students as they came in. As soon as the bell rang there was one student who was still out in the hall. She told them they'd have to go to the office and get a late pass, saying she was sorry but it was a rule. The student went without question to the office and Ms. Brocato immediately jumped into her lesson not even 20 seconds after the bell had rang. She begins the lesson with the question "So how many of you believe in aliens?". A few students raise their hands and share their thoughts, and Ms. Brocato asks them what they think they would look like. She then goes on to discuss how there are a lot of people in the world who study U.F.O encounters and look for scientific evidence prove or disprove these "sightings". She then passes out a worksheet while explaining they will be watching a couple of segments of video's from the NOVA series on these topics, and then complete a short worksheet where students explain if they believe in aliens, why, and why they think the aliens would visit their planet. Lastly, the students were to use their creativity and draw what they believed aliens would look like. She thoroughly explained each of these questions during the introduction and the students seemed to fully understand what to look for while watching the video (although this was more of an opinion based activity).
Reflection:
This was my first time in Ms. Brocato's class, and I was very impressed with the structure she maintains in her classroom. She is very well respected by the students and very clear about what her rules are and the fact that all students need to follow them. Being so early in the year, I asked her how she got the students to respond so quickly to this structured environment. She told me that at Exeter West Greenwich Junior High, the students are looped meaning they remain with the same team through both 7th and 8th grade. She said this really helps in the second year because the students already know what to expect, being able to focus more on the content at the beginning of the year without the distraction of learning a new teacher's method of teaching. On her whiteboard at the front of the room Ms. Brocato has a list of 7 things for students to do when they come in the room. First is taking out homework if any was assigned the previous night, second reading over notes from the day before, followed by 5 more getting students fully ready for the day. She said this gets students into a classroom mindset, and that it allows her to get right into checking or collecting the homework quickly to begin the lesson. Sometimes she said she'll use a problem of the day to help students review material they had learned the previous day. I personally this is the most effective way to start of a class, because this one answer question can be collected and evaluated as a checkpoint to make sure students understand the concepts on a daily basis. Ms. Brocato also did an excellent job of engaging students with questions at the beginning of the lesson. She asked some students who raised their hands, but also directed some questions towards students who didn't to make sure they also had a chance to contribute to the discussion. Throughout the video, she would periodically stop the video to clarify a certain concept that may have been confusing for the students. They seemed to respond to this and often asked questions during this time, which I thought was a really good tool. I'm really looking forward to student teaching with Ms. Brocato and hope to learn a lot more from her as my observations go on.